Exercising Your Faith Muscle

Friends, today I’m going to take you on spiritual workout. In fact, today we’re going to do some target training and work specifically on the faith muscle. Does this sound silly? I hope not, because it is my hope to get you “pumped up” about your faith and have you believing in the impossible. So grab your Holy Bible, and the rest of your workout gear, and let’s get started.

Muscles in Minutes

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to build fabulous muscles in minutes? Well the truth is that with the faith muscle, it can be developed very quickly. In fact, one of the spiritual gifts that God presents to His people is the gift of faith (1 Cor 12:9). Why? Because this is what pleases our Lord and it is how we connect with Him. He doesn’t want you to be spiritually passive. He wants you to excel in life’s endeavors and be spiritually fit. The Bible even tells us that without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6).

Now let’s take a moment to look at Moses. He was given the gift of faith through the promises of God. Once Moses realized who he was dealing with, he became adamant about his approach to things. He knew that God was God and that He does not lie. He was even shown very directly the power of God in their first encounter through a burning bush (Exo 3:2) and a rod that changed into a serpent (Exo 4:2-4). In addition, God revealed Himself as the Creator and challenged Moses to think more clearly about His power (Exo 4:11).

1,2,3, and Repeat

Do you realize that God used repetition to develop Moses into the great leader and prophet that he became? There wasn’t just one or two plagues that He sent Moses and Aaron to announce, but rather ten plagues that fell upon Egypt. It was a process, and at the same time Moses was progressing, our Lord was hardening the art of Pharaoh (Exo 9:12). By time it was all said and done, Moses was fully confident in the Hand of our Mighty Lord. His faith had matured and he was ready to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt.

Pressure Makes Perfect

When Moses and the Children of Israel headed out of Egypt, something very terrible and wondrous happened. Pharaoh decided to pursue the Israelites, but God did something very unique. God specifically instructed Moses to take the people to the shore of the Red Sea (Exo 14:2-3). Of course the Hebrew people were fearful, but God did something even bigger. He guarded His people as a pillar of fire while Moses stretched out his hand and parted the sea. Wow! Moses was put under pressure and this time he knew all he had to do was listen. There was no argument with God; He just did it as the Lord commanded him (Exo 14:16-21). The once dead end became an open pathway, and when the Egyptians followed, the pathway quickly became a deathtrap (Exo 14:23-27). This closed the show on the pursuers and ended in victory for the now free Israelites.

Don’t Forget to Hydrate!

One of the key rules of working out is to stay hydrated. If you don’t, your body will not function as efficiently and you can even become ill. Faith works the same way. You need to be constantly hydrating it with God’s word. If not we can become spiritually ill which puts us in a danger zone that we don’t want to be in.

You see, the word gives us life and the word is life (1 John 1:1, Phil 2:16). If you cut yourself off from it, things are going to start to go sour. You’re going to be more likely to sin and you might even catch yourself slipping away from your faith. This is commonly known as “backsliding” and it has happened to many a Christian. Keep your self spiritually hydrated and you’ll never have to deal with the agony of the backsliding blues.

Mustard Seed Muscles

Let me tell you something very cool! Faith is more than just believing in something. The Holy Bible tells us it’s actually a substance (Heb 1:1). That’s right, faith is a living, spiritual substance and the smallest amount can move mountains (Matt 21:21). Now the reason something the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain is because one is physical and the other is spiritual. Spiritual things are immensely more powerful than the physical. In fact, it was a spiritual work that led to the creation of the physical universe.

Now let me tell you something even cooler! Sure, mustard seed faith can move a mountain, but that is not our limit. Our faith can be much larger than a mustard and we can get to the point where nothing is impossible (Matt 17:20). Christ even told us that we have the potential to do even greater works than what He did (John 14:12). Now that’s some powerful faith!

Final Thought

Faith is certainly important in our relationship with Christ. However, just like a physical workout, sometimes it can be hard to successfully start a spiritual workout. I will tell you the truth though. A spiritual workout will always be fruitful and draw you closer to the Lord. You don’t have to pay for a membership, as Christ has already paid your dues for you. All you need to do is be a willing vessel and allow God to work inside you. Sure, this takes effort, but it will also turn you into a spiritually fit child of God. Thank you for reading and God bless.

What are some things you can do today to “pump up” your faith?